The pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong have burgeoned into a worldwide movement, with rallies supporting the so-called Umbrella Revolution popping up in cities as far flung as New York, Copenhagen and Brisbane.

Since tens of thousands of protesters flooded the streets last week to demand free and open elections, as well as the resignation of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, Hong Kong's Beijing-appointed leader, thousands of overseas Chinese are doing the same in a show of global solidarity.

"While we are enjoying freedom and democracy like no place else, we would never forget our homeland," Hoki Tse told Mashable. "If everyone in our homeland has an opportunity to fight for their freedom and democracy, we simply have to step up and show support."

A student who currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia, Tse and his schoolmates are hosting an information booth at school on Friday to educate others about the protests. The 29-year-old was born in Hong Kong, and lived there for 17 years. He said he feels a connection to the city since his father and relatives are still there.

Many former Hong Kongers maintain links to the city. Hong Kong has a growing number of "returnees" who move back home after going abroad. Nearly 800,000 residents emigrated from Hong Kong between 1984 and 1997, according to Nan M. Sussman, a professor at the College of Staten Island, in her book Return Migration and Identity: A Global Phenomenon, A Hong Kong Case. Since 1997, however, around 500,000 immigrants have returned to the city. (In 1997, Hong Kong was handed back to China after 155 years of British rule.)

Overseas Chinese like Tse tend to have a "strong sense of attachment" to Hong Kong, according to Madeline Hsu, a history professor at the University of Texas at Austin. "Just because they haven't lived there in Hong Kong themselves, they very likely have relatives, they've gone to visit, they may have some expectation of going back to live and work there at some juncture," she told Mashable.

Hei-Man Cheung (who also goes by the name Clementine) also identifies strongly with Hong Kong's unique identity and culture. The 19-year-old student told Mashable that she and her schoolmates held two rallies in Glasgow, where they handed out yellow ribbons and fliers to support the protesters.

"I am a Hong Kongese. I care about my homeland. I will endeavor to do the best for Hong Kong to protect my home," Cheung said, adding that it is "an interesting city with the blend of Western and Chinese cultures and convictions."

It's this uniqueness that unites the overseas Hong Konger population, Hsu explained, and likely spurred them to action.

"Hong Kong people have a pretty strong sense of local identity that is distinct from the People's Republic [mainland China]," she said. "It's a very particular place in terms of language and the mix of cultures and just sort of the levels of affluence and the kind of Chinese society and culture that you have there that you don't get in many other places."

Hong Kongers, such as Szehok Li, are protective of their city's identity, and don't want to see it undergo any drastic changes.

"I strongly believe that I would go home one day, and I don't want to see my home become a place where freedom and rights are limited," Li, a student at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, told Mashable. The 19-year-old, who lived in Hong Kong for 17 years, helped form the Edmonton Hong Kong Student Union shortly after demonstrations broke out. In addition to organizing a rally, the group has been collecting signatures to support the protesters.

When Hong Kongers move abroad, they expect that "the kind of life, the kind of culture that you have in Hong Kong wouldn't be changing that much" upon their return home, according to Hsu, the history professor.

And those joining the global solidarity movement are hoping that international pressure will make sure that change doesn't happen.

Mashable
is a global, multi-platform media and entertainment company. Powered by its own proprietary technology, Mashable is the go-to source for tech, digital culture and entertainment content for its dedicated and influential audience around the globe.